Academy Awards Party Prep

The Academy Awards are only a few days away, so I thought I'd share a glimpse of how I'm preparing for this year's annual viewing party. It's the first time we've hosted a big group at our new place and I can't wait to have a legitimate get-together. Here's what will be included:

Red carpet cupcakes. I won't have time to bake this year, so I plan on picking up my favorite red velvet cupcakes and calling them "red carpet cupcakes." Thematic desserts go a long way.

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Ballots. I like to have a big stack of ballots printed out and pens by the couch so that when people arrive, they're encouraged to place their bets on the winners right away.

Prizes. As an optional incentive, we have a buy-in (kept in a hurricane vase with a cute tag) for those who want to place bets on the Oscar winners.

Re-mixed Chex Mix. A while back, we went to a tiki bar and they offered a snack that was like a Chex Mix, but even better (and I haven't stopped dreaming of it). It had the original base, but other fun elements like Goldfish, Doritos and white cheddar popcorn. We recreated it for the party and it's seriously addictive. For other Oscar-inspired snacks I love these "Oscar" Mayer pretzel dogs and Classic Caramel Corn.

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Champagne with cute straws. We plan on keeping things simple by serving champagne, but with a fun touch, attaching photos of the Oscar-nominated actors and actresses to straws. We simply printed out pictures of their faces, cut them into circles and attached them to the straws.

Disposable cameras. As a way to document the party (and pay homage to the former Kodak theatre), disposable cameras will be placed around the house.

Classic candy. Since no TV-watching activity should be without candy, I like to put out an assortment of movie theater staples.

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